Improvement in automatic boilerrfeeders



l. W. HOPKINS.

Automatic Boiler-Feeder. &c.

Patented 1an. 26, 1875.A

wif/)141.444

UNITED STATES JOSEPH w. HOPKINS,

PATENT OFFICE.

or NEWYORK, N. Y.

IMPROVEMENT |N AuToMATfc BoiLERn-'EEDERgea specification forming part of Leners Parent No. 159.095,' amd January e6, 1875-; applicaties sled December 2s, 1814.

T o uit whomD it may concern:

Be 1t known thatv I, JOSEPH W. HOPKINS,

of the city and State of New York, have invented an Improvement in Automatic Boiler- Feeder and Water-Raiser, of which the follow# ing is a specification:

A iloat is lprovided in the water-receptacle,

and this operates upona piston-valve that allows the steamV from a boiler to move the steam and water valves that admitsteam and water alternately to the receptacle. When steam is admitted, the water is expelled or runs by gravity, andthe iloat descends -and changes the valves, so that steamV is cut 0E and water admitted, which, condensing, fills.

the receptacle and 'the valve rises, and the operations are repeated. The float is made with a tube, through which any water resulting from leakage will escape, so that the oat will be alwaysin tube c slides, and e e are .packing-glands for, the' said tube o. The float f surrounds this tube c,and .1`s permanently attached thereto.

The tube becomes a guide for retaining the float in position as'it rises and falls,land the tube 'is perforated at 2; so'that any leakage into" the iloatwis free to".,run away frxomv'the lower open end of said'4 tn be c; thereby said ;y iloat'is always in a proper condition for use.

.Water is admitted to the vessel a by the pipe h, and the'cylindricalvalve l serves to admit or shut off the water, and this valve l is connected to the iston-valve m in the chest f n by .the rod t.

Fig. 1,)y audr'is-the exhau's he auxiliary valve o is, made w move in the chest u', and the steam is adwitted -to the chest n and n" by the' openings or ports 3-and4'4, (shown by dotted lines in The operation is as follows: As the liont descends, thearm's presses upon a tappet, 5, of the stemof the auxiliary valve o, and

moves said'valve, admitting steam through the ports 4 6, and, moving the piston-valve su, closes the steam-inlet 3, and simultaneouslyv opens the inlet water-valve l, and water mhesinto the vessel a as the steamcon denses, and thereby the float f is raised. When said float f and its arm s act upon the tappet 10, the auxiliary valve o is moved, and the steam admitted to `the valvechest n through the port 12,-an d, acting upon the valve m, moves thesame, shutting oli' the water-supply valve l, and opening the steamway from 3 through the groove of the piston valvem to the cylinder a. The `water in the vessel a is ejected by the steam-pressure or gravity, and passes by the pipe u and checkvalve into the boiler, or to any other point ot' delivery, 'and as the water runs out, the tlont descends and the operations are repented.

The ports 14 and '15 serve to allow thel steam from the chest n to pass the grooves ot' the piston-valves to the exhaust at the proper times.

It is to be understood that when used as a boiler-feeder, the water runs by gravity into the boiler; but it will only run into said boiler when the level is sufficiently low; hence, by

locating the feeder at the proper level, the Water will be maintained at the proper height. in the boiler it' a sufficient Supply reaches the feeder. A'lever may be used in place of the arm s, if the ports ot the v alve o are trans-posed.

Lani. aware that a float has been made with a central tube containing passage ways,

through whichwater passed into the float or .was discharged therefrom.

lu my oat the lower end ot' the tube iopen to the atmosphere, and water is not admitted to ilow into the float, and the pressure inside the'iloat is always that of the atmos-- phere. A v I claim as my invention- ,1. The tubular guide-stein c, open to the j .atmosphere at the lower end, and passing` through a packing',v e, y into the otherwise closed iloat f of a boiler-feeder or water-rais ing'appaiatusyfor the purposes setforth.

2. The auxiliary piston-valve o, actuated by'tappets and an arm from the float. f in the vessel a, in combination with the main steam vvalve .m and water-valve l, connected together and operating as set forth. Signed by methis 5th day of May, A. l). 1.87.4: a Y JOSEPH W. HOPKINS.

Witnesses: GEO. T. PINCKNEY A01eme. H. SMITH. 

